When to Replace Your Running Rigging

Many boat owners are reluctant to replace their running rigging, and for good reason, it can be expensive! But you know what is more expensive? Having to hire a rigger to climb your mast to run a new halyard after the old one breaks. So here are some tips and things to look for so that you can replace your running rigging before it breaks.

The number one destroyer of line is chafe. Chafe occurs when line rubs against a sharp or rough surface. Sometimes it can be very obvious, but other times it is not. The easiest way to prevent line from chafing all the way through is to simply look at your line. At least once a year, at the beginning or end of the sailing season, you should visually inspect all of your running rigging and look for signs of wear. Chafe usually happens gradually over long periods of time and it is only a serious problem when it goes unnoticed.

This halyard definitely needs to be replaced. There is minor chafe on all sides of the line and along the entire length. There are also a few spots where the chafe is more serious. The condition of this halyard is likely due to UV degradation. Over time, UV exposure weakens the fibers and eventually, even the slightest friction will cause chafe that will damage and break the fibers of the cover.

This halyard has minor chafe right now, but the chafe is acute and has an identifiable source. The sheave in the halyard exit box is chipped and has sharp edges. You can see that the chafe is only occurring on one side of the line, the side that comes in contact with the sheave. Overall, this halyard looked relatively new compared to some of the other lines on this boat, and this sheave probably caused the demise of the previous halyard. The boat owner or previous rigger had clearly replaced the old line without looking for the source of the chafe. We replaced the line AND the sheave box to ensure that the new halyard won’t chafe.

This halyard had been wrapped around a shroud and tightened to prevent it from slapping against the mast while at the dock. Over time, the halyard still moved in the wind and the shroud chafed through the cover, exposing the core. This line is double braided polyester, so the cover is responsible for carrying up to 30% of the load. The breaking strength of this line is now significantly reduced. It definitely needed to be replaced.

On this eye splice, the core has herniated out of the cover. This was most likely caused by something sharp and pointy that poked through the cover and caught on the core. Perhaps a rogue cotter pin sticking out of a turnbuckle. Regardless of how it happened, the integrity of the line has been compromised and it needs to be replaced.

A stripped cover dyneema halyard is a great way to reduce the splice diameter and weight aloft for racers, however, they do have their downsides. Dyneema is especially susceptible to UV degradation. The cover on core dependent dyneema line normally acts as the first defense against UV rays and chafe, but when you strip it back, the dyneema has to fend for itself. You can see the difference between the old line on the right and the new line on the left. Most racers that use stripped cover halyards are diligent about inspecting these lines and some even replace them every season. This one didn’t.

This is the furling line for an in-mast furler. If you look closely at the line right before it wraps around behind the spindle, you’ll see that it is starting to chafe because there is not a fair lead for the line running into the slot. This line won’t last long in these conditions. This was seen on a brand new boat at the 2020 Seattle Boat Show…

This is a perfect example to illustrate why a thorough, yearly inspection of running rigging is important. Just because a line or even the whole boat is new, doesn’t mean there isn’t something wrong with the running rigging.

There is no hard and fast rule for “when” to replace your running rigging. If line is properly taken care of, it can last many decades. But a newly cracked sheave or an exposed cotter pin can quickly shred a line that otherwise would have lasted much longer. The only thing we can really do is regularly inspect lines to look for wear. And if you see evidence of wear, ask yourself (or your local rigger) “What could have caused this?” The cost of having a professional rigger inspect your running rigging can save you more money down the road.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your running rigging. And if your boat is in the the Seattle area, we’d love to come take a look at your running rigging!